Optimus Ride launches AV service at Brooklyn Navy Yard

Optimus Ride is operating an autonomous vehicle (AV) service at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York and expects to transport more than 16,000 passengers per month. The 300-acre industrial park has more than 400 manufacturing businesses and 10,000 employees on site. Dr. Ryan Chin, Optimus co-founder, says the system will “provide access to and experience with autonomy for thousands of people, helping to increase acceptance and confidence of this new technology”. Optimus is operating six AVs between the NY
August 27, 2019 Read time: 2 mins
Optimus Ride is operating an autonomous vehicle (AV) service at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York and expects to transport more than 16,000 passengers per month.


The 300-acre industrial park has more than 400 manufacturing businesses and 10,000 employees on site.

Dr. Ryan Chin, Optimus co-founder, says the system will “provide access to and experience with autonomy for thousands of people, helping to increase acceptance and confidence of this new technology”.

Optimus is operating six AVs between the NYC Ferry Stop at Dock 72 and the Yard’s Cumberland Gate at Flushing Avenue.

Initially, a safety driver and software operator will remain onboard when the vehicle is in operation. Each vehicle will be able to carry up to four passengers on a loop between the dock and Cumberland Gate. During weekends, the service will run between the dock and Building 77.

The deployment comes as the yard undergoes a $1 billion expansion, which is expected to increase jobs in the area from 10,000 to 20,000 by 2021.

Additionally, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) announced a $2.5 billion plan to create 10,000 additional jobs in manufacturing buildings, bringing the total number to 30,000 in coming decades. BNYDC will also aim to provide improved lighting and streets to make the area more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly.

Related Content

  • August 21, 2018
    Big wheels keep on turnin’
    Many of the great and the good in the global mobility sector gathered at this year’s Movin’ On event in Montreal. Measured regulation of technologies and safety issues were major themes, reports David Arminas. *Bibendum is the original name for the Michelin Man, the symbol of the Michelin tyre company Autonomous vehicles, platooning, smart intersections and safety – these were the talking points over two-and-a-half days of the Movin’ On event in Montreal, Canada. Everyone in the mobility sector is at the
    Read More
  • January 9, 2018
    Making the most of Michigan
    Michigan DoT’s Kirk Steudle takes time out from the ITS World Congress in Montreal to talk to Colin Sowman. Thirty years ago, a professional engineer named Kirk Steudle joined Michigan Department of Transportation (MDoT). Today he’s the state transportation director, responsible for more than 16,000km (10,000 miles) of state highways (including 4,000 bridges), some 2,500 employees and a budget of more than $4 billion. We caught up with Steudle during the ITS World Congress in Montreal and asked how he
    Read More
  • July 22, 2019
    TRC to open C/AV testing facility in Ohio
    The Transportation Research Center (TRC), an automotive proving ground in North America, has opened a connected and autonomous vehicle (C/AV) testing facility in Ohio. The $45 million site, called SmartCenter, is to test advanced automotive and mobility technologies in a repeatable real-world environment before vehicles are deployed on public highways. Governor John R. Kasich says the centre will allow researchers, developers and manufacturers “to test, build, and deploy advanced mobility solutions
    Read More
  • April 18, 2018
    AV ride-sharing services must appeal to motivations and overcome barriers
    Autonomous vehicle (AV) ride-sharing services need to appeal to user motivations and overcome potential barriers or concerns, if they are to be successful, according to research conducted by Merge Greenwich. The study revealed that, on balance, ride-sharing presents a greater barrier-to-uptake than AV technology. 85% of respondents indicated a willingness to use an AV in the future, suggesting that the technology is the aspect of the service that excites them the most. 46% are willing to use a ride-shar
    Read More

Highlighted Content